InterPlanetary File System (IPFS)

The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a distributed file storage protocol that allows computers all over the globe to store and serve files as part of a giant peer-to-peer network.

Any computer, anywhere in the world, can download the IPFS software and start hosting and serving files.

If someone runs IPFS on their computer and uploads a file to the IPFS network, that file can be viewed and downloaded by anyone else in the world who is also running IPFS.

How does IPFS Work

Distributed Computers Join the Network

Any computer can download the IPFS software and start adding and requesting files from the network.

Unique Hash Created for Every File

Every file added to IPFS is given an address derived from a hash of the file’s content. That address is like a fingerprint. It belongs uniquely to that file and will be the same, no matter where the file is stored in IPFS.

Users Can Access and Query Anywhere

Any computer on the network can query the hash and retrieve the file. Not just from one location, but from any location which has it stored on its network node.

Why Are People Using IPFS?

Ensure Integrity of Content

Every file on IPFS has a unique address determined by the exact bits that comprise the file. If even a single bit changes, the whole address changes. This allows the users to know for sure if a file has ever been tampered with.

Host with Redundancy

Achieve resiliency because every file on IPFS can be hosted in many different places, yet accessed from the same address. If one computer hosting the file goes offline, the network will just retrieve the file from another computer.

Browse IPFS with Cloudflare's Gateway

No Downloads Required

Generally, to access content stored on IPFS, you have to be running an IPFS node. That means downloading dedicated software and allocating local storage space on your computer. Cloudflare’s Distributed Web Gateway makes all of that unnecessary. Cloudflare’s gateway allows you to browse any file stored on the public IPFS network by going to https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/<path-to-content>.

No need to download anything. No need to give up local storage space. It all happens in your browser.

Built in Security

For each file that Cloudflare’s gateway requests on your behalf, we check the hash of the file to ensure that the content hasn’t been modified in transit. Our gateway also serves all content over HTTPS, protecting it from manipulation.

Connecting Your Website

If you have content stored in IPFS that you want to serve from a custom domain name, you can do so in just a few minutes using this gateway.
All you need is a domain name you own, access to your DNS records, and the hash of the content stored on IPFS. More in-depth instructions, including how to get your content onto IPFS in the first place, can be found in our developer documentation.

Here are the key steps to take:

Go to your DNS settings for your domain. If your website is on Cloudflare, the DNS settings are accessible from your dashboard. If your website is not on Cloudflare, and you need help finding the DNS records, look here .

Add a CNAME record from your domain (e.g. www.example.com) to cloudflare-ipfs.com. Note: if your website is on Cloudflare, the little cloud next to this record will automatically turn gray. Because you’ve CNAME’d to our gateway, you’ll automatically receive Cloudflare's enterprise-level performance and security enhancements, but you won’t be able to control those settings yourself.

Add a TXT record with the name _dnslink.your.website and value dnslink=/ipfs/<your_ipfs_hash_here>

Once you have added those records, type your domain name (e.g. www.example.com) into the text box below and click Submit.

This will generate an SSL certificate, which will allow traffic from your domain to be served securely over HTTPS. Be prepared to wait up to 90 seconds. You will receive a confirmation message when the certificate has been successfully issued. When you see that message the certificate has been issued, and any request to https://www.example.com will automatically resolve to https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/<your_ipfs_hash_here>.

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